The present conditional (le conditionnel présent) expresses hypothetical actions and polite requests. It's formed using the same stem as the future tense but with imperfect endings. Think of it as the "would" tense in English. It is used for:
- Polite requests ("I would like...")
- Hypothetical situations ("I would do it if...")
- Giving advice ("You should...")
- Expressing uncertainty ("It would be...")
- Reporting future events in past context
- Making suggestions
Regular Conjugations
| Pronoun | -er | -ir (finir type) | -re |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | -erais | -irais | -rais |
| tu | -erais | -irais | -rais |
| il/elle/on | -erait | -irait | -rait |
| nous | -erions | -irions | -rions |
| vous | -eriez | -iriez | -riez |
| ils/elles | -eraient | -iraient | -raient |
The conditional takes the future stem and the imperfect endings.
Regular -er verb: parler in Conditionnel Présent
finir builds on the same stem as its future: je finirai, je finirais.
Regular -ir verb: finir in Conditionnel Présent
vendre drops the final e here as well.
Regular -re verb: vendre in Conditionnel Présent
Common Irregular Verbs
The conditional takes the same changed stems as the future.
| Pronoun | être | avoir | aller | faire |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | serais | aurais | irais | ferais |
| tu | serais | aurais | irais | ferais |
| il/elle/on | serait | aurait | irait | ferait |
| nous | serions | aurions | irions | ferions |
| vous | seriez | auriez | iriez | feriez |
| ils/elles | seraient | auraient | iraient | feraient |
Important Notes
- The conditional uses the same irregular stems as the future tense:
- venir → viendr- (je viendrais)
- avoir → aur- (j'aurais)
- être → ser- (je serais)
- The endings are the same as the imparfait (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient)
- With si, use the imparfait in the si clause and the conditional in the other clause: "Si j'avais le temps, je le ferais"